It is incredible what nonsense some politicians, amongst others, are allowed to get away with on the BBC.
Labour’s Frank Field came out with a doucey yesterday (6 mins) when talking about recycling unused food to charities and how the systems for doing so are not good enough claiming that:
‘…This practice has grown up [in the past], it was clearly very wrong [even] in times when people in this country were not hungry and now we have people who are hungry in this country…..’
So no one was hungry before the Coalition came to power then?
An astonishing, and highly political, claim that the BBC let slide.
Just a reminder to Frank and the BBC…the Trussell Trust set up its first foodbank in the UK in 2000:
The foodbank is born
Whilst fundraising for Bulgaria in Salisbury in 2000, Paddy received a call from a desperate mother in Salisbury saying “my children are going to bed hungry tonight – what are YOU going to do about it”. Paddy investigated local indices of deprivation and ‘hidden hunger’ in the UK.
Guess the hunger was so hidden that poor old Frank didn’t see it….and when did the fabled ‘cost of living crisis’ begin, should there actually be such a thing?….in 2003 under Labour’s guiding hand…
Has the ‘hunger’ gotten worse?
No.
The black line being the rise in foodbanks, the red line being the number of people using the foodbanks….a direct linear relationship.
‘…you see the need has always been there, this is about volume and it’s about awareness. It’s primarily about awareness and I would say the one thing that the recession and economic downturn has done for Foodbank is to enable journalists to have a reason to pay attention to what we’re doing.’
The increased use of foodbanks as a whole is purely because of increased numbers of them and increased awareness.
The Trussell Trust is a highly poltical organisation that knows how to manipulate the Media to garner publicity and political support in order to influence government policy which is its intention…….
‘The Trussell Trust mission is to replicate the Foodbank Project throughout the UK: ‘Every Town Should Have One’. This will be achieved by empowering Churches and Christian organisations with the necessary tools, training and back up required to set up and run a successful Foodbank in their town.’ [Trussell Trust 2004 p.2]
The Trust must take active advantage of the fact that they are uniquely placed to raise awareness of the social injustices faced by their clients, to promote and facilitate change.
in recent years the Trussell Trust has developed an approach to campaigning which aims to raise awareness of the issues faced by clients visiting Foodbanks and to advocate policy change.
Since approximately 2007 the Trust has been developing their campaign work, driven by the imperative to ‘speak out about justice’. The campaign work revolves around raising awareness of ‘Hidden Hunger’ and is designed to both raise public consciousness and to influence government policy.
‘We’ve put a lot of effort into marketing and we’ve adapted and improved our marketing and we learned a bit better about targeting. […]So there’s a thing about us and the effort we make and we do plan, we do strategic plans, business plans, we think about it’ [Strategic Interviewee]
It’s really, really hard to set up your first couple of projects in any replication. […]But there’s something that happens down the line where it starts to multiply of its own accord, if you do the marketing so, you know, our efforts, we target churches and we target the media.’[Strategic Interviewee]
I myself would open Parliaments numerous cafes and bars to the Roma and Somali communities…and be happy with whatever arrangements come about after the necessary discussions.
As long as MPs no longer get subsidised food and free beer-and have to get a seat whilst others sleep on those green benches 24/7.
F888in flophouse of the mind is Parliament…and I`d then rollout my scheme to the BBCs premises…let the crime come to the BBC, so we don`t have to keep sending reporters outside to find it.
Be a good telly show too-and might even make some cheaper stars and hacks than we currently featherbed…
Leave Frank Field alone.
He is one of us.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9280731/Britain-must-limit-European-immigration-during-the-recession-says-ex-Labour-minister-Frank-Field.html
No he’s not.
Regard the key words ….during the recession…
this is a quote from the Daily Telegraph 17th July 2012, that I can’t find on line but have kept a physical copy of:
The article was headed “Political blame game begins over the population explosion”
‘Frank Field, the former Labour minister, said the surging population should now be treated as a “state of emergency” with tough measures to rein in student visas and family members from abroad.’
“This is not so much a wake up call, it is almost time for the firing squad for politicians who have allowed this to happen,” he said.
He accused his own party of lacking “humility” over its role in allowing immigration to go unchecked but also accused the Coalition of failing to do enough.
‘It will be no comfort to the voters to say “we told you so” ‘ he said.
One of us! No?
I was on the beach in Cornwall when I read the article, the sun was out and for 2012 it was hot, but the words:
“this is not so much a wake up call, it is almost time for the firing squad for politicians that have allowed this to happen”
sent a shiver up my back and has endeared me to Mr Frank Field ever since.
Leave him alone.
Frank is one of a handful of sane Liebour politicians.
I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again – there is no cost of living crisis.
What there is, is a cost of stealth tax crisis !
Council tax has more than doubled over the past 10 years because of the reduction of grants from central government.
Rents have risen disproportionately because of demand from immigration.
Public transport costs have disproportionately increased because of reductions in subsidies and adding VAT to fuel.
None of this affects the none working !
Then there’s the 30% stealth tax plus VAT on gas & electric in addition to the price rises. Last years cancellation of Millipedes extra stealth tax saved £50 off an average bill, and that’s just one stealth tax !
VAT being put up from 17.5% to 20% hit poorer families harder.
All in all there has been an assault on low earning working families, and it’s no surprise they are finding it impossible to make ends meet.
The next time you hear someone going on about ‘the cost of living crisis’, just remind them what causes it !
VAT is the Euro Tax, introduced to pay Britain’s membership fee. It was hiked to 20% not to raise money for the UK but to help pay for the Euro Crisis.
What is the odds this tax will not disappear should the UK leave Europe?
NB This document is interesting. I wouldn’t want to be purchasing ‘luxury goods’ in Hungary right now …
Food banks are a brilliant idea to encourage immigration into the UK from Calais. Perhaps the BBC can print off ‘food vouchers’ (in the usual non-european languages) so they can form an orderly queue just like the Post Office counter). Whites at the back please (no pushing). Hey lets have some of those French TENTS (seen them at Calais now being demolished) they would look good outside the BBC ‘Salford-Quay’ canalside HQ. The BBC canteen can supply fresh coffee, steaming rice and a raffia sleeping bag. Yup Britain ‘Open for business’ no-money required as it’s all F-R-E-E (including theme park tickets to Labourland and BBC bouncy castle). Strictly No Catholics!
“The figures show that the numbers using the foodbanks have grown in direct proportion to the number of foodbanks.”
Alternatively and equally possible is that foodbanks have increased in number as the need for them has increased.
David Vance is vociferous in his opposition to foodbanks so little wonder that his acolyte takes the same view.
whats more equally probable is as immigration has swamped England, so has the use of food banks
If that is your belief then you must therefor agree that the rise is due to demand as opposed to supply. In other words you agree that Allan (and David) are wrong!!
Albabum youre an idiot. Now, please go and take your cybernat bigotry elsewhere
Yep – standard Biased BBC response. When losing the argument resort to personal attack.
As opposed to starting with one
i.e. “David Vance is vociferous in his opposition to foodbanks so little wonder that his acolyte takes the same view.”
Like others posting here you obviously have a difficulty with facts:
THE FOOD BANK SCAM…
By David Vance On March 3rd, 2014
http://www.atangledweb.org/?p=49042
JUNK FOOD LAZY…
By David Vance On May 1st, 2014
http://www.atangledweb.org/?p=50221
It was the acolyte dig I was referring to .
Are you so convinced of your superiority that just don’t realise when you being arrogant (As in “you obviously have a difficulty with facts:”)?
Just asking is all.
Facts: an inconvenience to Vance’s sycophants.
Acolyte: “an assistant or follower.”
As Alan’s role here meets the above definition I can’t see why my comment was a “dig” or a personal attack in the manner of “Dont Kill Bill Kill Aunty’s” response.
There’s what you can’t see, can see and often choose to ignore.
Such as what constitutes a personal ‘attack’ on you vs. what you apparently feel should be your unique ability to comment on others as much as their posts.
And thus the weekend unfolds.
“Such as what constitutes a personal ‘attack’ on you …..”
Is being called an “idiot” and “bigot” not a personal attack? A simple yes or no will suffice.
Alba, it depends on what you mean by the “need for them”. If, as I contend, the purpose of a foodbank is an explicitly political one (were there no poor and hungry people during the Brown regime?) then there is a need for as many as possible, and they have to be reported on every BBC platform as frequently as possible. Oddly this is exactly what happens!
Bluntly, the only purpose of a foodbank in the UK is to offset the possible issue of delays in benefits payments. No one in Britain needs to be hungry, I as a taxpayer fund extremely generous benefits to all and sundry, ample to feed people. However, if some people chose to spend the money given to them to feed their children on other priorities that is not a problem that is resolved by a foodbank. FFS food in Britain is cheap, foodbanks are primarily agit prop and secondarily social services.
So a bunch of people set up an operation giving food away for free.
And they find that demand for – FREE FOOD – increases.
No shit, Sherlock. “People Will Take Something for Nothing Shocker”.
“Need”, my arse. It’s telling that almost always when the BBC have done a piece on food banks the person shown as “in need” of food, stuffing the bags full of branded tinned goods, is inevitably obese.